Wednesday, February 5, 2014

LOUISVILLE (WAVE) - A Kentucky corrections officer was arrested for having a sexual relationship with a parolee she met during his incarceration.

The man, who was serving time at a halfway house, reported the relationship after the suspect "threatened to send him back to prison" if he didn't continue, according to an arrest warrant.

Police said the suspect, Samantha Verner, 39, is married and at the time of the crime was a corrections officer at the Kentucky Department of Corrections (DOC), which supervises the halfway house. She has since been fired.

The warrant states the two met while the victim was incarcerated at the Kentucky State Reformatory (KSR), where Verner had worked since September 2013. The victim was paroled on January 2, 2014.

Police allege Verner engaged in a sexual relationship with the victim from January 5 to January 11, based on information from the man. On January 15, the victim notified internal affairs and provided police with nude pictures of the suspect sent to his phone along with threatening text messages to corroborate his accusations.

DOC officials said an investigation into the allegations was started by internal affairs at KSR and then turned over to the Jefferson County Attorney's Office for possible criminal charges, which they do with all cases of this nature.

"The Kentucky Department of Corrections does not tolerate this type of activity from our staff, in any form; it is a Class D felony," said DOC spokesperson Lisa Lamb.

According to police, they spoke with Verner and she gave a taped confession admitting to engaging in sexual intercourse and oral sex with the victim while he was a parolee.

On January 17, the DOC dismissed her from her position, which was still in the initial probationary stage.

She was arrested at her home on February 4 and charged with third degree rape, third degree sodomy and first degree official misconduct.